Wednesday, March 11, 2020

What can I do if I cannot pay my tax liability?


If you have a tax liability you are unable to pay,  my first advice is to FILE THE RETURN.  Do not think you will save money if you just don't file the return because you owe money.  You will be assessed a failure to file and pay penalty which is 47.5% (22.5% late filing and 25% late payment) of the tax. However, if your return was over 60 days late, the minimum failure to file penalty is the smaller of $205 or 100% of the tax required to be shown on the return.  These penalties can add up to quite a bit.  

If you do end up having a tax liability you are unable to pay, file your tax return, by the deadline, to avoid the failure to file penalty.

Below are your options:
  1. Pay as much as you can when you file your return
  2. Request an additional 120 days to pay your tax in full using the Online Payment Agreement application on www.irs.gov
  3. Prove financial hardship, the IRS won't ask you to pay until your circumstances have changed
  4. Call the IRS at 800-829-1040
Keep in mind, the above options do not get rid of penalties and interest on your unpaid tax liability.  

The bottom line is: do not ignore the issue.  Ignoring your tax liability will cause you to stress, lose time dealing with the issue and paying the IRS more money in the end.

Candace Stevens, CEO/President of
Number Cruncher LLC


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